Notes on Democratic Backsliding by Nancy Bermeo

Author Information

• Nancy Bermeo, Nuffield Chair of Comparative Politics at Oxford University, PIIRS Senior Scholar at Princeton University.

Concept of Democratic Backsliding

• Definition: State-led debilitation or elimination of political institutions sustaining democracy.

• Importance of analyzing choices and actions impacting regime transformation.

Forms of Backsliding

• Varieties of Backsliding:

  • Classic coups, executive coups, blatant election-day vote fraud declining.

  • Emergence of new forms: Promissory coups and executive aggrandizement.

  • Increasing reliance on strategic harassment and manipulation.

Positive Trends

• Decrease in classic coups since the Cold War (30-year low).

• Decline in executive coups and blatant electoral fraud.

• Modern backsliding occurs through legal reforms and institutional adjustments.

Challenges Ahead

• Promissory Coups: Frame illegal government removal as temporary, pledge elections, rarely result in improved democracy.

• Executive Aggrandizement: Elected officials weaken checks on power through legal changes.

• Strategic Manipulation: Efforts to skew elections subtly against opposition without overt fraud.

Implications for Democracy

• Incremental backsliding presents unique challenges, often lacking dramatic public feedback.

• Requires nuanced understanding and response to domestic and international incentives driving changes.

Future Considerations

• Backsliding may lead to hybrid regimes, complicating opposition mobilization.

• Current forms of backsliding show democratic erosion rather than outright breakdown, raising hopes for potential recovery.